


Well of Sorrows

by nerdsherpa



Series: A Hole in the Roof: Haleth Lavellan/Commander Cullen [3]
Category: Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Dalish Elves, F/M, Jaws of Hakkon, Templars (Dragon Age), Well of Sorrows
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-28
Updated: 2015-12-28
Packaged: 2018-05-09 22:04:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 419
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5557235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nerdsherpa/pseuds/nerdsherpa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Because I realized that his lover allowing a bunch of ancient, barely understood magic into their head is... literally one of Cullen's worst nightmares.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Well of Sorrows

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers for the Jaws of Hakkon DLC.

"Cassandra said I should —" She stands in the doorway, but falls silent as their eyes meet, searching each other's faces. She looks down first. "I'm sorry."

"No, you're not." It sounds harsher than he meant it.

She closes her eyes, not disagreeing. "I am sorry that I _hurt_ you."

In the silence after that he notices the flat, checked box in her hand.

"I thought we —" she says, as he says "Is that —"

"I thought we could play chess," she finishes.

He nods.

 

~

 

"Are you letting me win?"

"…"

"Stop it."

 

~

 

"Wait. Damn!"

"Checkmate."

"Another?

 

~

 

"I just —" he says, as she reaches for her remaining bishop, "I need to _hear_ you say it. Why you did it."

She looks down at her hands. "Because humans took Arlathan from us. They took the Dales and Halamshiral. They took Shartan and Mahariel and Ameridan and forgot about them. They took our language and named a _weed_ after us. Being the Inquisitor couldn't keep them from taking my entire family, and I couldn't —" She stops to take a breath and he notices that the board is getting wet. "I _couldn't_ ," she says again, a complete sentence. "I couldn't stand in Mythal's temple and let a human take a boon from her as well.

"No," she says, when he reaches for her hand, "I know you want to comfort me." She looks up at him, as serious as he's ever seen her. "I need to know you aren't doing this just because you want to comfort me."

He nods.

"One of the duties of a templar is to stand watch over mages at their Harrowing. The responsibility for that killing blow is often given to the newest recruits. Maker willing, they will live the majority of their lives peacefully alongside these men and women, but it is important to accustom them to the fact that it is still their duty to slay any of them who become a danger to themselves."

He pauses, smoothes his hair back. Remembering. Choosing his words. "It's a responsibility I took many times. The decision needs to be made quickly, as soon as they return from the Fade, lest the demon overwhelm you all. The older templars drill you on the signs. You learn to read them."

"What do the signs say?" she asks, as he rises and reseats himself next to her.

He cups her face in his hands and examines it, not because he needs to, but because _she_ needs him to.

"That this is you, love."


End file.
